


Distorted Wonderland

by Noizchild



Series: Wasteland 2011 [6]
Category: Durarara!!
Genre: Corpses, Crucifixion, Death, Dolls, Gen, Horror, Psychological Horror, Psychological Torture, Wasteland, curse, ghost - Freeform, therapist
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-04
Updated: 2016-03-04
Packaged: 2018-05-24 17:24:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 9,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6160980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Noizchild/pseuds/Noizchild
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Second volume up. Second of three stories that follow my poem, "Wasteland 2011." Core story. There are little dolls that have appeared all over the city. They seem to be keeping something at bay. Meanwhile, the young man struggles to keep the nightmare Wasteland locked in his head. Yet, why are there many people trying to bring it back to Ikebukuro and swallow everyone in its path?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Mariko

 Distorted Wonderland

Halo Zero: Mariko:

Little dolls have been appearing all over Ikebukoro. Everyone can turn and see these Victorian-style, soulless toys everywhere. They can be seen in shop windows, café windows, windows of the schools, peoples' home, and even in Russia Sushi. Nobody knows where they came from or what purpose they serve. For some reason, nobody wants to move or touch these dolls.

Fuchigami Mariko and her husband, Ken, left a late night summer party. The husband laughed and talked loudly for the whole walk. His wife rubbed her head. Eleven years of marriage came to this? When did her husband turn into an annoying, hyper man-child? Ken wildly hugged on her in the street. She tried to push him off when he attempted to give her a sloppy kiss.

"Honey!" Mariko complained as she dodged him, "Stop! You're drunk!" Her husband looked up at her with flushed cheeks.

"Aw, you're no fun," he pouted.

"You're drunk," his wife pointed out, "You get all-hands when you're drunk." Ken gave her his famous pouting cat face.

"But I love you!" he whimpered.

"I love you too, dear," Mariko said back, "I love you more when you're sober." They made it back to their apartment. Husband and wife stopped short when they saw a Victorian-style doll dressed in black and hunter green sitting on the kitchen counter staring at them. Mariko sneered at her empty face.

"Why the hell does she have to sit there watching us every time when we come and leave?" she snarled. The wife walked over to shove the doll back out of sight. Ken lifted his head in time to see his wife's hands just inches away from the doll's hunter green hat.

"No, don't!" he yelped like an upset child. Mariko turned and looked at her husband with a puzzled look on her face.

"Dear?" she asked. Ken raced over and pulled back her hand.

"Don't touch it!" he wailed. His wife rolled her eyes. He did this every time tried she to hide one of the various dolls out of view when they were creeping her or their guests out. She never could get a straight answer out of her urban legend-obsessed husband. Mariko put her hands on her hips.

"And why not?" she asked. Her husband grabbed her by the shoulders.

"They are meant to keep something locked away," he told her in a serious voice. Mariko couldn't tell where this was going. She couldn't even be sure if it was him or the sake and beer talking.

"And what would that be?" she asked.

"The ghosts that died in that apartment across town," he slurred out. Mariko snorted at his drivel. _Oh great, another drunken ghost story!_ , she thought in sarcasm.

"Okay, dear," the wife spoke up, "Let's get you to bed here." Mariko took a hold of her husband before he could argue another word.

"I love you very much," Ken slurred as he rested his head on her breasts.

"Yes, I love you too," the wife replied. Once she dressed him in his pajamas and put him to bed, Mariko came back to the kitchen to take out the trash. She shook her head in disgust. Ken was obsessed with urban-legends, ghost stories, and "creepy pasta" type stories since they met when they were fourteen. Couple that with large amounts of alcohol and he didn't know how to stop telling ghost stories to anyone who would listen. Luckily for her, Mariko was able to put him to bed just in time to spare herself the nonsense. For many years, she did her best to overlook that little quality about him. The man did have his other redeeming features after all; sweet guy who cared about his wife. Despite being a man-child most of the time, he meant well.

After putting the trash out at the curb, Mariko went back into the apartment. No thanks to the moonlight from the window, the doll in the kitchen made her jump when she first laid eyes on it.

"Oh shit!" she yelped. It took the wife a while to calm down and realize it was just that auburn-haired doll staring at her in the darkness. Mariko frowned at such a creepy decoration staring her down.

"You," she muttered, "Go over there!" The wife walked up and smacked the doll hard enough to turn its head away to her right. She stood back with a great feeling of satisfaction. _Curse, my ass!_ , Mariko thought as she laughed in her head. She then went to join her husband in bed down the hall. However as she soon as she turned to walk down the hall, the wife heard a loud crunching noise behind her. Mariko froze and turned to see a blackened ghost-like fifteen-year-old schoolgirl staring at her. She didn't even get the chance to scream out as the girl reached out to grab her by the throat.

In the early morning hours, blood drops dripped from the ceiling in the kitchen. It would be hours before Mariko's husband and neighbors found her body nailed to an upside-down cross on the roof with blood dripping from her eyes and her big white pearls tightened around her neck as a noose.


	2. Rain

Halo One: Rain:

The bus will be late getting back tonight. Her husband trusted her to make it back home on her own. She looked at her watch. It would be three o'clock in ten minutes. He would be done with his current job and onto the next one in an hour. Her husband never held a stable job. He pretty much worked odd ones to make ends meet on their house. Sometimes, he never made any money. It didn't matter to her; she had her husband by her side in a nice old house in her beloved countryside. When he got home, she would make him a nice dinner.

She became aware of someone sitting next to her on the bench under the shelter. She turned and saw a man dressed in a fancy suit. He had his jacket draped over the back of the bench. He happened to turn and see her.

"Oh, hi," he said, "Didn't see you there." She gave him a slight little wave.

"Hi," she mumbled back. She noticed his nice white shirt and black trousers.

"Did you just come from work?" she asked.

"Yes, in fact I did," the man answered.

"Where do you work?"

"I'm a campaign manager here in Ikebukoro."

She tilted her head puzzled, "Campaign manager?"

The man blinked at her, puzzled. "You're not from here, are you?"

She gave him a surprised look. "How did you know?"

He smiled at her. "You aren't familiar with the city politics and the way you are dressed says it all."

"Oh," she said as she looked down at her white sundress. Her shoes looked just as simple as her dress.

"It's okay with me though," the man said, "I used to come from the country too." She looked up at him with big, curious eyes.

"You did?" she asked.

"Oh yes," he said.

"Then why did you leave?"

"School and work, I went to Todai and got work in the political world."

She nodded at him. "I see."

The man looked at her left hand and happened to notice her ring. "That's a pretty diamond that you have there."

"Oh, my husband gave it to me after we got married."

"You're married? How long?"

"Three months."

The man nodded, "I see."

"What about you? Are you married?"

"Ah, yes. For eleven years now."

"Wow!"

The man shook his head. "It's been a pain for the last couple of years. Lately, all we have been doing is fighting because of my job. But since she's pregnant again, things have been a quieter. That's why I'm trying to get home earlier these days."

"How far along is she?"

"It'll be five months by this evening."

"Congratulations!"

The man bowed his head at her. "Thank you." He noticed her other hand placed at her stomach. "Oh, are you expecting too?"

She blushed and looked down. "I hope so. I just came from the doctor's office to see if I was healthy enough for a baby. They said everything looks good."

"Good luck."

The bus pulled up in the rain. She rose to her feet and headed to the waiting open doors. The man quickly stood up.

"Wait!" he called, "At least tell me your name!" She turned to him on the stair. The rain drowned out her voice and then she was gone.

She wouldn't see him again until six years later on the news.


	3. Yuki

 

 

Halo Two: Yuki:

Yuki trembled as she turned the mini cat charms so that they faced the window. It freaked her out to even touch them. Still, she needed to snoop around to make sure that it didn't happen again. If that meant dealing with a bunch of fake little cats, she was willing to do it.

"What are you doing up here?" she heard someone ask behind her. The woman leapt around to see Noriko standing in the doorway with a disapproving look on her face. Her guardian rose to her feet and cleared her throat.

"Your cats give me the creeps," Yuki admitted.

"Why are you in my room?" Noriko asked. Her guardian bowed her head.

"Excuse me," she muttered before seeing herself out. The ward glared at her as she walked away.

_Bitch!_ , she thought as she went back downstairs. Mikado, Masaomi, Anri, and Chiharu sat in the living room waiting. Noriko slid the door closed behind her.

"Sorry about that," she said, "Yuki can be so annoying."

"Did she try to go into your room again?" Chiharu asked.

"Yeah," her friend said, rolling her eyes. She took her place at the unplugged komatsu. "So where were we?" she asked.

"Page forty-eight," Anri murmured.

"Thank you," Noriko said, nodding. She opened her textbook, gritting her teeth. "I hate her so much," the girl complained, "Yuki is so controlling. She doesn't care about me; she just wants to drug me up into a vegetable." Mikado placed his hand on her wrist.

"It's okay," he whispered. Noriko shook her head.

"No, you don't understand," she said, "She's trying to hide something from me. Yuki thinks I don't know, but I can see right through her. I don't trust her!"

"Come on!" Masaomi said to smooth things over, "Don't be like that. A pretty girl like you shouldn't be a sourpuss."

"Right," Chiharu said quickly, "Let's just focus on this text here." Noriko took in a slow breath.

"You're right," she mumbled, "You're right. You're right." She picked up her book and started to read.

In the kitchen, Yuki heard the whole conversation while finishing her tea. She waited until the five students were buried their textbooks before she disappeared down the hall with her cell phone. Her footsteps quickened as she dialed that old number.

"Come on, come on!" she hissed under her breath, "Pick up! This is serious!" Yuki froze in her tracks when she heard a creaking noise coming from Noriko's room. The woman lowered her phone and walked over to the slightly opening door as if in a daze.

The inside looked the same as it did five minutes ago. Yet, something felt off in here. The woman felt her body go stiff like something or rather someone was watching her. Yuki shook her head.

_Don't be so stupid!_ , she thought, _It's just you and the kids in this apartment! Get a hold of yourself, stupid!_ Yuki looked down at her phone and tried to call the number again. She gritted her teeth and cursed herself as it went to voicemail.

"Damn it!" the woman muttered. Yuki sat down on Noriko's bed and groaned. The creepy feeling this room produced wouldn't leave. Yuki reached into her pocket and pulled out her iPod. Music did wonders to calm her down in the past. Once the upbeat 90's Japanese pop filled her ears, Yuki felt herself relaxing enough to begin her search in the room again.

Suddenly however, the song began to skip to the next one after twenty-five seconds. Yuki looked down and noticed that her entire playlist kept skipping song without playing them. Freak out, she tossed her iPod across the room. It donned on her as she turned that all of the cat charms on the desk, above the bed, and on the floor were all facing her again with judging eyes.

Stay away! Stay away! Stay away!

Yuki backed out of the room as fast as she could. An icy breeze hit her short brown hair and nape. She turned inch by inch and jumped when she noticed that the dark hallway became dark and abandoned. The woman shivered as she fought to keep from freaking out.

"Noriko-chan?" she asked. "Guys? Kids?" Yuki jumped when she heard her cell phone ring in the room. She forced herself to swallow her fear long enough to walk inside. Closing her eyes and reaching around on the bed, Yuki picked up the phone and placed it to her ear.

"H-Hello?" she asked. A sharp meow forced her eyes wide open. A little black cat with green eyes sat in the middle of the room staring at her. It opened its mouth and meowed again.

"Get away from me!" Yuki hissed as she back away to a corner, "Get away from me!" The cat lounged forward, sending the poor woman scrambling back to Noriko's open closet. When she looked up, the cat had vanished as if it never existed. Yuki shut her eyes and just to wish away her fright.

_Stop acting like this! There is no curse! There is no curse!_

She paused when she heard a crunching noise above her head. Yuki looked above her to see two black hands reaching down for her throat. She struggled to break free from the grasp as they pulled her upwards through the hole in the ceiling of the closet. Once her feet disappeared through the hole, that was the end of it.

Masaomi, who was the last to leave the apartment for dinner, didn't notice a thing as he headed out the door.

 


	4. Sorry

 

 

Halo Three: Sorry:

It's always the same dream. Small, dainty hands drove a sharp knife into his chest. Her red lips always murmur the same thing to him.

"I'm sorry…"

Afterwards he sank into a permanent world of darkness.

That dream felt so real with the knife piercing his heart. He never could hear the voice behind those lips. That didn't stop him from understanding what they were saying. He couldn't match a face or a body to his assailant, but somehow he knew that they were really close to him. That could be the reason why he sensed them crying as he was stabbed.

This wasn't the first time this stabbing has occurred either. Somehow he feels like he has died before by those hands. He doesn't remember trying to stop those hands or not. Those lips might have kissed him before he was stabbed. Maybe his tears tingled with the owner's before his death. All he remembers is the knife, lips, and hands in his reoccurring dream.

Evie walked back into the bedroom and drew back the curtain.

"Good morning," she said. He picked up the wooden figure next to him and tapped it against the floor. Evie smiled to herself.

"I have a busy day today," she said, "New clients are coming today to look at some apartments here in Ikebukuro. American and really rich; the husband has offered to pay up front if he's impressed."

Knock.

"Oh yes," she said. The blonde American walked over to her boyfriend sitting on the living room floor behind the coffee table. He could smell her pricy French perfume from her bosom as she leaned in close to his face.

"This is going to be a deal for us," she whispered, "I finally got rid of all of the problems with that one apartment and now I have a client interested in it! Wish me luck!" He didn't like the way that sounded. She was talking about apartment 27 in Kinko Sekai Apartments. He can't convince her not to sell it because he has no voice. Evie doesn't believe the stories surrounding it either. All he can do is force himself to smile and nod. His "girlfriend" patted him on the shoulder.

"I will knock them dead!" she bragged. His stomach turned as he heard her footsteps slide into her kitten heels and walk out the door. He can feel the endless dark maze opening up and swallowing him again.

 

 


	5. Shinra

 

 

Halo Four: Shinra:

Shizuo's been stabbed again. Shinra did a successful job of stitching him up and now the debt collector lay sound asleep on the couch. In the hall, the doctor looked at Celty's phone.

"I'm getting nothing on here too," he said shaking his head as he handed back her phone. He leaned back again the wall. "I don't know why our cell phones are out."

"From what I hear it's not just us," Celty typed.

"It seems that way," the doctor said, "My boss complained about the same thing yesterday at work." A sudden thought crossed the dullahan's mind.

"Do you think it has something to do with those dolls all over the place?" she typed on her phone. In the other room, Shizuo slowly awoke to find one of dolls sitting on the counter staring at him. Her soulless piercing blue eyes complimented her black and dark blue dress. The color brought out the paleness in her skin. Despite the crack across her face, she still looked rather elegant. Shizuo sneered at her empty gaze. In the hall, Shinra took a second to ponder his girlfriend's question.

"It's possible," he said, "Nothing like this has happened since the dolls first appeared around the city." He looked up at his headless girlfriend. "I don't even know what exactly they are. If I could just find some clue, then maybe…" A loud crash in the living room interrupted his thoughts. The couple raced inside to find the cause. Shizuo stood over the fallen doll glaring at it. Judging by the bits of broken porcelain on the floor and the torn clothes and hair of the doll, it didn't take much to figure out just what had transpired.

"Shizuo…" the doctor said with a gasp. The ruffian snorted over the damage he had created.

"I couldn't stand the way that thing kept staring at me," he muttered. Shinra was about to speak when his cell phone rang.

"Excuse me," he said. The doctor picked up his phone and headed into the hall. "Hello?" he asked.

"Kishitani?" his boss asked on the other line, "It's been three days and we're swamped with patients in the clinic here. Where the hell have you been?!" A puzzled look came over the doctor's face at that question.

"Three days?" he asked, "But I just let the clinic hours ago. What are you talking about? Is this some kind of a joke?" His eyes darted around for a calendar.

"No," the other man insisted, "This isn't a joke. Why haven't you been in for work these past three days? Did something happen at home?" A sharp sense of dread filled the doctor as he looked over to the broken doll on the floor.

"Kishitani? Are you still there?" the boss asked, "Hello? Hello?"

 

 


	6. Mikado

 

 

Halo Five: Mikado:

Russia Sushi around six o'clock in the evening. The Raira trio, Noriko, and Chiharu sat at the back table with their dinner. They weren't the only ones tonight. Kadota and his group sat at the bar. Plus, two middle school boys sat at a table across from the Raira students. Despite the quiet and "normal" vibe in the room, everyone couldn't help but to get the feeling that something was going to unfold. They didn't speak because the doll in a red dress near the kitchen had her glass eyes on them.

"She looks creepy," Erika whispered in Walker's ear. Her fellow otaku nodded. The two middle school boys eyed the same doll. The one in the grey t-shirt leaned over to his friend.

"I dare you to break it," he whispered. His friend gave him a strange look.

"No, man," he whispered back

"I'll buy you Ramune," his friend pushed.

"No," the other boy said.

"I'll pay for your dinner," the boy added. His friend turned around with big eyes.

"Seriously?" he asked.

"If you want," his friend said. From the kitchen, Simon watched them with a sharp glare. Out in the kitchen, the boy smirked and reached into his pocket. He aimed a yen coin at the doll's face.

"No, don't!" his friend yelled quickly. Once his friend let go of that coin, it was too late when it connected with the doll in the face. Everyone in the restaurant looked up when they heard a crashing noise. The overbearing doll fell to the hard floor and broke her head. A dead silence filled the room. The van gang didn't move an inch. A sudden invisible wave struck everyone in the restaurant. Mikado felt it the worst.

He remembered cradling Anri's beaten and bloodied body in his arms as he screamed for help. She mumbled something as her life was slipping away. Mikado leaned in to listen to such faint works.

_No. That's not right. When did this happen?_

Mikado saw another vision of a man drowning a woman in a pond. The couple was waist-deep in the icy water. The man had his hands tightly clasped around the woman's neck as he held her under the water. Mikado walked through the water to try and stop him.

"Stop! What are you doing?!" he shouted.

_That can't be it either! I've never seen this before!_

Another memory of him surfaced in his mind. This time, Mikado was looking out from behind steel bars at two young doctors talking. He couldn't make out what they were saying, but something told him it wasn't any good. One of them with glasses glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. Mikado felt himself backing up in this memory.

_This isn't right either!_

Suddenly, Mikado saw another vision. This time, he wandered into a room upstairs in an old house. He found Chiharu standing over a dead body clutching a bloodied shovel in her hands. Horrified, Mikado raced over to her.

"What did you do?!" he cried. Chiharu clutched onto her shovel.

"I had to do it," she muttered under her breath.

"But… But…" Mikado yelped.

_This didn't happen either! Where is this coming from?_

Another memory came into Mikado's head. "Yuki is so controlling. She doesn't care about me; she just wants to drug me up into a vegetable," Noriko complained. Mikado placed his hand on her wrist.

_Oh, that's right…_

The sensation in the restaurant settled down to normal. Everyone else tried to return to normal in their lingering confusion. Mikado's chopsticks shook in his hand. What was all of that? Somebody put a hand on his wrist. The boy looked up to see Chiharu staring him down in the eye. The very look told him that he wasn't imagining.

"You're not imagining it," she said with her eyes, "But you have to ignore it for the sake of everyone." Mikado nodded with unease at her warning.

 

 


	7. Stockings

 

 

Halo Six: Stockings:

A little fragment of his memories came back while he was in the hospital. As he slept from the first night of torment, he dreamt of bright red stockings. He didn't see them all of the time, but something about them made him smile back then. He couldn't the owner of something so vibrant and soft or why they were worn. Something told him he saw those red stockings on a special occasion. There was something bigger about this memory.

_Why am I seeing them now?_

His mind went blank when he heard footsteps enter the room. The whistle from Kill Bill didn't help either. The very sound of his tormentor's voice brought back another fragment of memory. This one he wished that he could rebury and never see again.

"Good morning," Scottish voice cooed, "Sleep well?" His whole body went stiff. The owner of that voice lately stroked his cheek. He can't exactly remember where he's heard her voice. Something about it besides last night terrified him. So much so that the only way he could cope for two more days was the dream of those red stockings. She leaned down to his ear.

"There, there," the Scottish accent cooed, "I'm just going to check on you this morning. Just relax. I won't harm you." He doesn't believe her.

_Liar.,/i > He's heard this lie too many times. He listened in on the writing of a pen on paper. _

"Good," she said, "You're perfectly stable and you're in good health." He tried to keep calm. He wasn't going to give her the satisfaction. She leaned down close to his ear.

"I will be back to check on you," she hissed. She tapped him on the cheek and walked out of the room. There was no relief for him; he's going back into his endless dark maze. Lately, it's gotten worse. The air in the maze became so heavy that was crushing his lungs. The screaming around him made his ears ache. He hurled down into a ball in his mind.

_Please let me go. I don't know what you want. Can't you let me live my life in peace?_

Suddenly, another pair of footsteps filled the silence in his room. His heart relaxed when those shoes sounded different, much lighter.

"Hey there," Evie's voice filled the air, "How have you been?" Excited, he curled his right hand into a fist beside the bed.

Knock.

"Good, good," she said as she took a seat next to the bed. She gently brushed some of his hair from his face and kissed him on the forehead.

"I have most of the day off," she said, "I'm going to stay with you for most of the day." His heart couldn't have felt so much easier. His hand reached out to grab hers.

"Oh," she said, "You missed me that much?" He nodded before shutting his blinded eyes again. Evie struggled to find something say.

"Okay," she said. He began to see those red stockings again in his dreams.

In the hallway, the nurse walked the couple before making a little phone call on her Bluetooth.

 

 


	8. Namie

 

 

Halo Seven: Namie:

Namie snorted at the dark blue-haired doll sitting on the bookcase. She sat there with her empty glass eyes on her and Izaya all of the time. Today, she decided to do something about it.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," she heard that familiar voice shout out as she reached for the doll's neck. She yelped and whipped around. Izaya sat at his desk, smirking at her. Namie put her hands on her hips.

"And why not?" she challenged him. Her boss leaned in closer with a cat-like smile.

"Do you know why these dolls are all over the city like this?" he asked.

"No," she replied. Izaya leaned back in his chair with a smirk.

"Back in the winter of 1987," he began, "A housewife snapped and killed her older daughter." Namie huffed at such an explanation.

"Bull shit," she muttered.

"It really happened," he insisted, "Come look at this." Namie walked over as Izaya pulled up Google and typed in the information. He clicked on the official article and let her read it. She blinked at the content on the screen.

"Okay, but what does it have to do with the dolls everywhere?" she asked. Izaya gave her a cat-like smirk.

"Can't you tell?" he asked. Namie began to look rather annoyed by this game right about now.

"Tell what?" she asked. He sat back in his chair after he scrolled back to the victim's picture on the article.

"That, I'm trying to figure out myself," he replied, "But I'm willing to bet that this girl is in the center of it all."

"That's ridiculous!" Namie shot down.

"And why do you say that?" he asked.

"Well, she's dead," the woman pointed out. Izaya grinned at her.

"So?" he asked. Namie looked at him, frowning.

"You don't mean…" she began to say. She shook her head at that thought. "That's just a bunch of crap!"

"Do you really believe that?" Izaya asked.

"Yes!" Namie said quickly. Her boss smiled as he shook his head.

"You poor thing," he cooed, "You really don't get it, do you?"

"Get what?" she asked with an eyebrow raised. Izaya turned his chair to face her.

"Don't you get it?" he asked, "Something glorious is about to happen."

"Like what?" his employee asked with her arms folded across her chest. Izaya looked like a little boy who had just woken up to see a mountain of present under the tree on Christmas morning.

"I'm still looking into that," he said, "I would like to unravel just to see what would happen." The glow in his eyes began to fade away. "Sadly, someone already beat me to the punch."

"Who?" Namie asked making a face at him.

"That, Namie-chan," he said, "Is something that I would like to know." Sensing clearly that she wouldn't get a straight answer out of this guy, Namie sneered and turned her head to face the doll sitting in the bookcase. She's always hated dolls and seeing them around the city reminded her of that little fact.

 

 


	9. Michiko

 

 

Halo Eight: Michiko:

She's looking for something. Only she knew the answer to what. Michiko came by the hospital. The receptionist happened to look up from the magazine she was reading when she noticed the child walking up to the front desk.

"Hi, can I help you?" she asked. Michiko gave her a huge, angelic smile.

"I'm here to visit my uncle," she said.

"Alright, which room is it?" the receptionist asked.

"I'm not sure," Michiko admitted.

"Well, does he have a name?" the woman asked. Michiko muttered it so that only she could hear it over the people rushing around them. The receptionist nodded it as the glow in her face flickered for only a second.

"Okay, I have the information right here," she said. The receptionist typed up the search for patient information.

"He's in room 215," she said.

"Thank you, ma'am," Michiko said before bowing and walking down the hall to the elevator.

Evie had just left the room to get him something to eat. He began his trip back into his endless maze. He figured that he could brave this one for she would be back. He wished that he could tell her not to leave. This would have to do for now. He only wished that he could…

Lighter footsteps into the room broke up his thoughts. He froze when they by his bed. A strange, soft smell tickled his nose.

"I knew I would find you here," Michiko whispered above his head, "You feel it too, don't you?" His body went stiff at her words. Her small hand reached forward and wiped sweat forming on his forehead.

"Don't worry," the little girl whispered, "I won't hurt you."

_Lies! Lies! Don't lie to me!_

"It's okay, just trust me," Michiko whispered. He shut his blinded eyes as if to try and block her out.

"How long are you going to turn a blind eye to all of this?" she asked, "This isn't going to go away and you know that. I need your help to stop this madness. The dolls are preventing the wasteland from coming back, but I don't know how long it will hold. I really need your help this time." He curled up his fists by his sides. Michiko's face went dim.

"If you don't help me out, these people will be swallowed up in our Hell again," she pleaded, "Do you want them to die? Is that what you want? Can you even live with more blood on your hands?" His body broke down into trembling sweats. She rested her hand on his chest and parted her lips to speak his real name.

"Excuse me," a woman spoke up behind her, "But who are you?" Michiko turned to see Evie standing in the doorway, staring at her. Both girls stared at each other as he relaxed in his bed.

"I'm sorry, but are you supposed to be in here?" Evie asked. Michiko stood up straight before her.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said, "I must have the wrong room. Excuse me." The young girl bowed and hurried out of the room. Evie watched her walk away with her hands on her hips.

"I need to have security upped in this room," Michiko heard her mutter under her breath as she disappeared down the hall.

 

 


	10. Rika-sensei

 

 

Halo Nine: Rika-Sensei:

Rika's new at the Child Psychology center today. Three days; three days and nothing. Three sessions and she still hadn't gotten anywhere with Noriko. The girl seemed to be trying to keep something at bay. The clock ticked in the background as they stared each other down.

"Noriko-chan," Rika said, "You can start when you are ready." The girl still wouldn't talk. Her new therapist sighed.

"Come on, Noriko-chan," she said, "I want to help you."

"You can't," the girl said in a hoarse whisper. Rika gave her a rather puzzled look.

"What do you mean?" she asked. Noriko drew her knees to her chest on the couch.

"I'll get you killed too," she whispered. The therapist looked intrigued now.

"I won't be killed," she said, "What makes you say that?" A dark shade filled the patient eyes as she stared at the floor. Noriko mouthed something just as cold.

"Excuse me?" Rika asked. Noriko's darkened eyes turned to her therapist.

"Don't let the devil get me," she said in a growl. The therapist was so startled that she dropped on her notes on the floor.

Later that evening, Rika recovered enough to look over her lack of notes. She couldn't understand what happened in today's session. Noriko had remained silent until now. What brought all… this on? She happened to look out of the corner of eye to see one of her colleagues, Chiho walking up to her.

"Hiya!" she cheered. Rika slowly looked up at her.

"Oh…" she mumbled, "Hi…" Chiho looked over her shoulder and saw her notes on Noriko. Her face went rather grim.

"You have that patient?" she asked. Rika tilted her head at her.

"Do you know anything about her?" she asked. Chiho took a seat next to her.

"I was here after Koda-sensei disappeared," she explained, "Every therapist that had her has disappeared in some way or another." Rika turned to her intrigued.

"Disappeared?" she asked. Chiho gave her a sharp nod.

"Yeah," she said, "I don't know much about Koda-sensei, but I heard that Mirai-sensei was a nervous wreck after her last session with Noriko-chan. After that, she had never been seen since."

"Did it have something to do with their notes?" Rika asked.

"That's the word in the office anyway," Chiho said. She stood up from the table and turned to the doorway. Before she left, the woman turned and looked over her shoulder.

"Get out quick with this case while you have the chance," she warned her. Rika watched as her work best friend walked out the door. For the rest of the night, she couldn't sleep because of Noriko's haunting words.

"Don't let the devil get me."

What did those words mean? What has Noriko so frightened like this? The current notes didn't provide much for Rika to solve.

The next morning, she dialed up Shimamoto-sensei for help as she left her apartment to go to work.

"This is Shimamoto Ken," his voice mail said, "I cannot come to the phone right now, please leave a message." Rika walked across the street as the other line beeped.

"Hey Boss," she said, "It's Yagami-sensei, I have Ichikawa Noriko as my patient and I can't seem to get through to her. I can't reach her guardian either. I was just wondering if I could have a look at her previous session from her last ther…"

Rika froze in horror as she saw Shimamoto-sensei's body being taken down from the cross that he was martyred on in front of the psychology center. Her cell phone dropped to the pavement.

 

 


	11. Noriko

 

 

Halo Ten: Noriko:

Her dreaming is starting to overlap into her daily life. Not just her nightmares anymore.

Bright lights swirled around her head above. Noriko opened her eyes surrounded by loud pounding music. She noticed people walking towards this huge gold and red tent up above. The girl squinted for a better look.

_What's going on here?_ , she thought. Noriko tried to figure out the whole setting around her. She tilted her head the puzzled look on her face deepened.

_I feel like I've been here somehow…_

"Noriko-chan?" someone asked in real life, "Noriko-chan?" The girl looked up to see Shimamoto-sensei looking at her from his desk. The girl blinked at him.

"What?" she asked.

"Your guardian," he said, "We can't seem to reach her. Is something wrong?" Noriko frowned as she realized what was going on in real life.

"No," she replied.

"Do you know where she is?" the head therapist asked. Noriko snorted.

"No," she hissed. Shimamoto-sensei raised an eyebrow at her.

"I detect some bitterness at my questioning," he said.

"You think?" Noriko wanted to ask, but instead, she say, "Can I please go?" The man dropped his shoulders.

"You are dismissed," he said, "Just have your guardian give me a call." Noriko rolled her eyes and walked out the door. No sooner had she walked outside, another put of her dream overtook her mind.

This time, a huge crowd of people stood outside the mayor's office with signs and angry shouting. Noriko looked around as she had seen this nightmare one too many times. Suddenly, she felt a strong arm grab onto hers. The girl looked up to see a man determined to break through. Noriko expected the next part to follow accordingly.

"Come on, dear," he said, "Let's go." Noriko only nodded at him though she didn't know why.

"Right…" she said in a tiny voice. Suddenly, she and the man dashed through the unruly crowd. Noriko shut her eyes as she then heard one woman scream just behind her. Everyone looked up to see a blackened girl of fifteen dragging her feet with a dark ghostly train behind her. Some of the demonstrators dropped dead to the ground while others tried desperately to run away. The man at Noriko's side squeezed her in tight to his body.

"Stay close to me, okay dear?" the man asked.

"Yes," the girl mumbled. The man holding her did his best to make his way through the chaotic crowd. However halfway through, the pair got separated and those people started trampling her. Noriko tried to scream out the man's name, but her own voice was drowned out by the endless screams.

"Miss, are you okay?" someone asked in real life. Noriko returned to see an old man staring at her with concern in his eyes. The girl could barely speak as she tried to catch her breath. The old man raised an eyebrow at her.

"You were just standing in the road screaming, are you alright?" he tried to ask her again. The girl shook her head and ran away as fast as she could.

 

 


	12. Doctor

 

 

Halo Eleven: Doctor:

The nurse walked back to the darkened conference room. "Doctor?" she whispered as she peeked around inside.

"Are you alone?" a man asked.

"Yes sir," the nurse replied.

"Enter," her boss told her. The nurse with the Scottish accent walked into the conference room and shut the door behind her.

"Good," the doctor said, "We're all here now." The nurse sat between two of her colleagues. The doctor at the head of the table took out his notes.

"How many dolls do we have left?" one intern asked.

"We have only destroyed twenty-five out of countless numbers of them in this city," he explained. The interns and nurses groaned in displeasure.

"That many?" a male intern complained.

"That little brat's outdone us this time," his female colleague added.

"She's not a 'little brat'," their leader was quick to correct, "We've seen what she can do, remember?" The female intern frowned and snorted.

"Now then," the doctor said, "The next issue at hand. The key players in this round are starting to come together again. One and three have encountered each other in this very hospital." The Scottish nurse fought to keep from snickering.

"But what about number two?" another female intern asked.

"She's still hasn't realized what is happening to her," he said, "But her nightmares are breaking through ever since she came off her medication."

"What about the other players?" the nurse asked. A twisted smile came onto the doctor's face.

"They will come," he said, "Each time a doll is broken, more of the truth will rise."

"They won't be able to hide behind their lies," the nurse said.

"Yet, number three is trying to stop us again," a third female intern said. The doctor sat back, nodding.

"Yes, that is a problem," he said.

"So what do we do with her?" another male intern asked.

"We can leave her for now," the leader answered, "But keep tabs on her." His eyes scanned the darkness. "Any other questions?" he asked. Nobody spoke at first. Another nurse rested her hand against the table.

"Why did you have to let Yuki go like that?" she asked. The doctor closed up his nose with a serious look on his face.

"She served her purpose," he said, "She wanted to keep number two in the dark, but as you can see…"

"But did she have to die like that?" the nurse asked.

"It's a shame, but we had to make another kill to start this game," the doctor said. He cut out Yuki's blood-splattered cell phone.

 

 


	13. Maze

 

 

Halo Twelve: Maze:

His maze always started out the same. He can't see beyond the endless sea of black that tries to consume him. His feet ached to walk this trail again. At first, it's so quiet around him. This was never the easy part, but it would get worse as he kept walking.

The screaming started out with a little whisper. Even a noise that subtle gave him the creeps. He could feel little sparks of air rushing over his head. The source of the screaming came from them. Like him, they are trapped in this endless maze. Only difference was that they were dead with no bodies and he was still alive and had his body. Yet, the constant screams and circling of his own being suggested that they wanted his body to try and escape. He still refused and they still haunt him for it.

_Get away! I can't give it over to you! I just want to live in peace. Why can't you all let me be?!_

He closed his blinded eyes to hold on to what was left of his sanity. In his mind, he can see red and gray circles spinning at rapid speeds up ahead. He has yet to figure out what they mean. They seem so close, but when he reached up to touch them, the circles vanished in tiny traces of smoke. He wondered what they could possibly mean for him.

He jumped when the screaming gets louder. Great waves of fire rolled down his back. No matter how fast he ran, the flames kept up with him.

_Please leave me alone!_

The screaming started to weight down on his brain. He shrank down into a trembling ball.

This time however, the maze has gotten worse lately.

To add onto his isolated endless torment, his mind's eye caught the image of a giant hand trying to stab him with a hypodermic needle like a mad child. The nurse's voice laugh at him as the point came just inches away from his chest. The more he tried to dodge, the more the stabbing increased. The needle kept jumping around his head, torso, arms, and legs, getting faster and faster. The nurse sang a child-like song with the stabs, but he couldn't understand the words. He struggled to crawl away, but the needle stabbed after him. Escape didn't work in this endless Hell of darkness. The winds, needle, and voices blended together as if in a drunken slur.

Because he had no voice, he couldn't scream for himself. Though that would be in vain due to the fact that it was his own maze and no one else existed in this empty space.

Suddenly, he froze for something is different tonight.

He can smell something tonight. The stench of corpses mixed with a sickening sweet Arabic perfume. His mind's eye desperately searched for the source. The screaming and the circles kept trying to be a nuisance to him. Suddenly, it got quiet again. He tried to open his blind eyes in vain. He couldn't move his body, but he felt it.

Tonight, he knew he wasn't alone.

 

 


	14. Kadota

 

 

Halo Thirteen: Kadota:

Kadota and the van gang watched from another manga café at the scene unfolding across the street. The coroners were taking about Mariko's body in a body bag while the police tried to contain the crowd of onlookers.

"What is it this time?" Saburo asked.

"A woman was found like that shrink was yesterday," Erika said.

"Who found her?" Walker asked.

"The steward when he felt blood dripping on the ceiling," his fellow otaku said, "He found her on the roof nailed to an upside down cross." Her sometimes-boyfriend shuddered.

"Think it's the curse?" Walker asked.

"It has to be!" she said, "The husband said that she broke one of the dolls in their apartment." Kadota rolled his eyes and groaned.

"Don't be so…" he began to say. However, he paused when he happened to look across the street to see a blackened girl about fifteen watching him. He felt like he had seen her from somewhere before. He tried to place where exactly.

His mind went back to his high school years. Kadota remembered back in July of his junior year of Raira Academy. He was heading home for the afternoon when a strange site caught his eye. One of his classmates, Hikaru, was outside talking to a strange girl on the curb of the street. He had his dog with him and he was barking at said girl. Kadota couldn't understand what he was seeing. This wasn't Hikaru's girlfriend and she certainly wasn't a student at Raira Academy. Kadota tried to walk closer to hear the conversation going between them.

"You new here?" Hikaru asked.

"No," the girl said, "I live outside of town."

"I see," the boy replied. The dog barked at the girl.

"That's a cute dog," she said, "He sure is noisy."

"Yeah," the boy replied, "He's not usually like this." Hikaru knelt down to shush the barking down. The dog went quiet after he pet it. The boy turned back to the girl in question.

"What are you doing here, may I ask?" he asked.

"I'm a little lost," she addressed, "Could you help me out?"

"Sure, where are you trying to go?" Hikaru replied.

"I'm trying to get back to elementary school to pick up my sister," she replied.

"Okay," he said, "Which school are you trying to get to?"

"Nishi Elementary," the girl told him.

"Oh, I know where that is," he said, "Come with me."

"Thank you," the girl said with a bow. She and Hikaru walked down the street. They found his dog with blood on the leash. Hikaru's body was never even found.

 

 


	15. Stranger

 

 

Halo Fourteen: Stranger:

He's home today. Evie walked him up to their apartment. It didn't feel like this was his home. Something isn't right anymore. Evie rested her chin on his shoulder.

"We're almost there," she whispered. Her words can't reach him. Michiko kicked down the door to the gates of Hell. He wished that she had never found him.

Evie walked him into the living room and sat him down on the couch.

"There," she said, "You wait right here while I go heat you up something to eat." He wanted to yell out to her to stop her. She had already gone into the kitchen.

After those three Hellish days in the hospital, the maze grew stronger. The screaming made him want to huddle up into a ball. The voices in his head have become more coherent.

"Why did you leave me?"

"Take me back!"

"Traitor!"

"Take me back!"

"Murderer!"

"Take me back!"

"Take me back!"

"Save me please!"

"Take me back!"

He put his hands over his head and broke down trembling. _Please go away; it doesn't have anything to do with me anymore! I just want to live a quiet life now!_

"Baby, your lunch is ready!" Evie called him back in reality. She looked and saw her boyfriend on the couch huddled trembling.

"Baby?" she asked, "Baby?!" Her voice was miles away in his head. The dark Hell that he tried to desperately to keep locked away in his head started to seep into the city.

Outside, a blackened fifteen-year-old girl the woman and suffering boyfriend, waiting for the right moment to begin this vicious cycle again.

 

 


	16. Underbelly

 

 

Halo Fifteen: Underbelly:

Ikebukuro has many secrets hidden within its city. This one is big enough to swallow all of Tokyo in its grasp.

It starts with a silver and red card that is taken to a convenient store near Kinko Sekai Apartments. A middle-aged woman at the counter scans the card and hands the recipient a ticket. This ticket leads to a seemingly abandoned building right next door to Kinko Sekai Apartments.

A masked man takes the ticket and inspects it. If it fails, the holder is turned away. If the ticket passes, holder is let inside. Only about ten percent pass, but there is a little trick to gaining entry. The VIPs get it with just a silver or gold mask on their faces. Their ticket always manages to pass with no question at all.

Once inside, there is a pathway that leads into a narrow hallway. The pounding music in the distance leads to a grand room of delights. Two more masked men lead the winning ticket recipient through the moaning and decadence to a flight of black stairs. Through the purple velvet curtains is the main attraction.

Men wait for hours for the coveted prize to appear on stage. Sliver Dreamer comes out like the goddess that she is admired as. Physically, she looks like a nymphet. Many try to guess her true age. Her owner refuses to tell anyone if they are right or not. All eyes stay on her as she moves around her caged pole. These men all want her and her dance entices them.

She doesn't seem to show any emotion the whole time. She looks like a living dead girl circling her pole. Because of her emotionless state, it drives man to make her more desirable.

After her dance, the auction begins. Highest bidder gets to have Sliver Dreamer for the night to do her with as they pleased. However, money is not allowed to be used here. Guests in this club use points to bargain for this mysterious beauty.

However, who is managing this whole underground club? There are a few powerful hands in the mix, but who watches over everything on the show? Many suspect that a certain information broker in a black furry coat might be in the shadows as the "bouncer" to the decadent party from the distance. This had yet to be proven.

So, what does this decadent club have to do with the wasteland? Much more than anyone thinks to be honest with you.

 

 


	17. Hisayo

 

 

Halo Sixteen: Hisayo:

July, 1987.

The air conditioner was broken in Raira Academy that day. She wrote in her diary with a smile on her face. Home wasn't great anymore and everyone at school avoided her. However, she had one piece of sunshine in her life. She began to scribble little hearts in her notebook. Her homeroom teacher, Abe-sensei, wouldn't get in until ten minutes later. Every girl in the school had a crush on this man. Hisayo found herself as no exception. She liked him because he was the only person in her that was nice to her. However, this carried its own problems in itself. Yesterday, Hisayo tripped and fell outside of the school building. Abe-sensei happened to be there at the wrong place and the wrong time. Her mother happened to see him helping her off the ground and took it the wrong way once again. Poor Hisayo didn't hear the end of the reoccurring accusations from her mother at home. Hisayo kept her head down at her desk this morning.

_Everyone already looks at Abe-sensei funny because of me_ , she thought, _I don't want to get him into more trouble._ She paused in thought and drawing when she noticed a shadow standing over her. The girl looked up to see her object of affection looking down at her with a concerned look on his face.

"Yes?" she asked in a small voice.

"Isobe-chan," Abe-sensei spoke up, "Are you feeling okay?" Hisayo looked away.

"I feel fine," she lied. Naturally, her teacher didn't believe her.

"Could you see me after class?" he asked. His student gave him a panicked look.

"Sensei!" she wailed in a soft voice.

"I won't hear of it," he insisted, "I care about the welfare of my students." Hisayo lowered her shoulders.

"Alright," she murmured. Abe-sensei gave her a warm smile.

"Very good," he said in a low voice before he returned to the front of the class. Hisayo could already hear the whispering around her.

"Maybe he is fucking her."

"Eww! Why would he ever be interested in a creepy girl like her?"

"She probably put some sort of a curse on him."

"Even the teachers talk bad about them now."

"How much do you want to bet that crazy woman will come here again and accuse Abe-sensei of sleeping with her?"

"Will he end up losing his job because of Isobe?"

"I will be so mad if he does."

"It would be better if she would just die."

"Yeah."

Hisayo just wanted to disappear into the floor. Sometimes, she wished that Abe-sensei would just ignore her like everyone else did. That probably would've been the best thing and then maybe things wouldn't have turned out the way they were in the Wasteland present day. For now, she could reluctantly enjoy her crush like the sunshine he became in her school life.

 

 


	18. Widow

 

 

Halo Seventeen: Widow:

Today was supposed to be a normal day. All of the students made it to Raira Academy after they heard about Mariko's death on the news. Already the students connected it to Shimamoto-sensei's death just weeks earlier.

"Is it really the curse?"

"That's just creepy."

"Is it really because she broke the doll in her kitchen?"

"I don't want to die!"

Noriko walked into the building with her eyes to the ground. Somehow, she couldn't help but feel that the deaths were tying back to her in a mind that was beyond her understanding. Chiharu patted her softly on the back.

"None of this has anything to do with you," she whispered in her friend's ear. Noriko nodded as she pressed her lips together. Meanwhile, Mikado struggled with the images that wouldn't leave his head. His dreams had been invaded with blood. However, he could never tell anyone what he was seeing. Most of them would think that he was insane. Chiharu already ensured him that he was imagining things.

_But why do they feel so real?_ , Mikado thought.

"Hey man!" someone yelled behind him. The boy looked up see Masaomi and Anri walking up to him. He gave them a weary wave.

"What's up, man?" Masaomi asked, "What's the matter, buddy?" Mikado tried his best to look normal.

"N-Nothing," he lied, "I'm fine." He pushed himself to walk further ahead of his friends. Anri and Masaomi couldn't understand what just happened to their friend.

"What's with him?" Anri asked. As they all made it to class, Noriko couldn't erase the feeling that something or someone was closing in on her fast. Her fears would be confirmed when the whole school was called in for an assembly. The students didn't understand what was happening. Chiharu held Noriko's hand the hold time.

"It's going to be fine," she whispered. The principal walked on stage and approached the microphone.

"Good morning, students," he greeted the student body; "I would like to announce that we have a new school nurse that will be joining us for the year." He moved aside for her. Noriko's eyes widened in fear when she saw a woman with dark wavy hair approach the microphone with a smirk.

_I found you, number two_ , she thought. "Hello students," she greeted everyone, "My name is Chiba Junko-sensei."

 

 


End file.
